


Love and Socks

by persephoneggsy



Series: FemRhack Fics [8]
Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Break Up, Crying, F/F, Feelings Realization, Fem!Handsome Jack - Freeform, Fem!Rhys, Fluff, Genderbending, Girls Kissing, Hurt/Comfort, Older Woman/Younger Woman, Rhys's Sock Collection, Shopping, and Rhys's whole thing with Socks in general, not between jack and rhys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-29
Updated: 2020-03-29
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:07:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23372899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/persephoneggsy/pseuds/persephoneggsy
Summary: Rhys breaks up with her boyfriend after finding out he cheated on her, and she's pretty devastated by the fallout. Luckily, her boss Jack is there to cheer her up.And maybe Jack realizes something about herself along the way.
Relationships: Handsome Jack/Rhys (Borderlands)
Series: FemRhack Fics [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1647343
Comments: 4
Kudos: 80





	Love and Socks

**Author's Note:**

> behold: my laziest title ever
> 
> seriously i could only find really lame sock puns and i didn't like any of them enough to make them the title so you get that instead
> 
> sorry lol

* * *

Jack, for the first time in a long time, did not know what to do. 

She hadn’t encountered a problem that she couldn’t tackle before. Even before taking over Hyperion, Jack was a woman hellbent on making the universe bend to her whims. There was nothing she couldn’t solve, be it with her brain or with her burgeoning love of violence, all her problems were crushed in her wake as she made her way in the world. 

Dumbass coworker trying to take credit for her work? Dismantle his security systems and fry his mainframe. 

A tough line of code? All-nighter and a few gallons of coffee. 

Shitty boss firing her even after she built a goddamn space station for the company? Strangle him to death and take over said company. 

The point was, Jack had reasonable confidence in her problem solving abilities. 

But this? This had thrown her for a loop. 

“I just... I just don’t understand!” wailed Jack’s personal assistant, Rhys. She was curled up on the couch in Jack’s office, crying ferociously. Her makeup was streaming down her face, her hair was a mess - it was the most unkempt Jack had ever seen her usually well-groomed right-hand woman. 

Jack awkwardly patted the younger woman’s shoulder, seated a few inches away from her. “There, there...” she said, cringing at herself. 

It was an eventful morning. 

First off, Rhys had been late, which was completely unlike her. Rhys was always in the office before her, with a fresh cup of coffee in hand for her boss. But Jack came in to an empty office, and had to brew her own coffee. 

She’d been annoyed about that. So when Rhys finally decided to grace her with her presence, she’d been ready to lay into her over her tardiness.... and then. 

She saw Rhys’s face. 

Her assistant looked terrible. Bags under her eyes that even her immaculately applied concealer couldn’t cover. Her outfit was mismatched, as if thrown on with no consideration to the overall look - also completely unlike Rhys, who treated her appearance like a religion. 

Worst of all, though, was her puffy eyes and red nose. She’d clearly been crying. 

Jack, startled into concern over the state of her PA, cautiously asked what had happened. 

That was when the floodgates opened. 

Rhys immediately began crying, which freaked Jack the hell out. To her credit, the younger woman tried to apologize, but she couldn’t get many words out in between sobs. 

Jack had maneuvered her over to the couch, and there they sat, for about... an hour and a half. 

From what Jack could gather, Rhys’s boyfriend had cheated on her. She caught him in the act the night before, banging some chick from Accounting on their couch. It hadn’t been a smooth breakup, obviously. 

To be honest, Jack was relieved. She’d never liked... what was his name? Thaddeus, right. Thad was a huge dick, and he’d rubbed Jack the wrong way from the first time she’d met him. But at the time, she supposed that most of her employees were dicks - she and Rhys themselves could be considered bitchy on their best days - and that Rhys saw a side to him that he didn’t show anyone else. So she didn’t say anything about their relationship. 

Besides, it was never her business. She liked Rhys, yeah, and maybe she even considered her a friend. As long as she was happy, and did her job, Jack wasn’t going to interfere. 

But now... she kind of regretted not saying anything sooner. 

“H-He never said anything! But then h-he told me I-I was a p-prude and wasn’t g-giving him what he n-needed!” Rhys hiccuped as she kept sobbing. The tissue box Jack slid over to her was half empty, used tissues scattered around the miserable younger woman. “I just - he knows how b-busy I am!”

“It’s not your fault,” Jack said, giving her assistant another awkward pat. “He’s just trying to _make_ it your fault so he gets off scot-free.”

Rhys sniffled. She seemed to be calming down a little, which was good. “W-We... I thought we were happy...”

Jack grimaced. Geez, what was she supposed to say to that? This comfort shit really wasn’t her thing. 

“... Tell you what, Rhysie,” she started, waiting until Rhys’s watery eyes focused on her face. “Why don’t you... take the day off? Hang out with your friends, or take some time for yourself? You’re... obviously not in a good state for work right now.”

Rhys swallowed thickly, a tear dripping from her chin to her blouse. She ducked her head. 

“I-I’m sorry...”

Shit. Jack hurriedly put her hands on Rhys’s upper arms, making her look up again. “Don’t apologize! Like I said, this isn’t your fault, cupcake. It’s your douchebag ex’s. I want you to march your cute little butt home and just... relax, okay?”

Rhys sniffed again. “I-I don’t think I can handle being home right now... he might be there, moving out his stuff...”

“Well... I can send a Loader Bot down there with you?”

“... for what?”

Jack and Rhys stared at each other. Jack found herself shrugging helplessly. 

“To kill him?”

A beat passed, and then, to Jack’s surprise, Rhys laughed. It was a wet, wheezy thing, but it was a laugh nonetheless, and Jack felt a million times lighter for hearing it. 

“Thanks, Jack,” she smiled, wiping at her eyes. “But I don’t think murder’s really going to help, here.”

“Are you sure? Usually helps me.”

“I’m sure. But really, thanks. If it’s okay... could I just stay here for a few hours?” Rhys fiddled with her current tissue. “Vaughn and Yvette are busy today, so I can’t go to them. And...”

“And?”

Rhys glanced at Jack, then shook her head. “No, it’s nothing.”

Jack regarded her suspiciously, but decided to let it slide. “Okay... Yeah, you can stay here.”

“Thank you. I’ll try not to be a distraction.”

“You? A distraction?” Jack smiled, reaching up to ruffle her PA’s already messy hair. Rhys protested quietly. “Never, pumpkin.”

* * *

Except. 

Rhys kind of _was_ a distraction. 

Not on purpose, obviously. It was more Jack’s fault, since the bad feeling in her gut hadn’t gone away, even after Rhys assured her she would be fine. She’d been through breakups before. 

Rhys had done some easy work while she was in the office, scheduling meetings and the like. Luckily, there was nothing particularly involved that day, aside from a meeting after lunch; mostly a lot of paperwork and reports to get through. 

Jack kept glancing at Rhys. She wasn’t full-on sobbing anymore, but there was still the occasional whimper and sniff, relatively quiet. But in the large space that was Jack’s office, it echoed. And every pained noise that escaped the younger woman’s lips made the bad feeling in Jack’s gut worse. 

Thankfully, Rhys finally opted to go home around lunch time, figuring her ex was done getting his stuff. She bid Jack goodbye with another thank you, and a promise that she’d be better tomorrow. Jack waved her off, telling her to take her time. She’d rather have Rhys at her best than forcing her to go back to work when she wasn’t. For some reason, this made Rhys smile at Jack in a way that made Jack feel weird. Not in a bad way, but... weird. 

Anyway. With Rhys gone for the day, Jack figured she could get more work done... but as the minutes ticked by, she found herself thinking about her PA constantly. 

She glanced at her comm. It... wouldn’t hurt to just call and make sure she got home okay, right? She was just being a considerate boss. 

Nodding to herself, Jack picked up the comm and put in Rhys’s number. It rang for a few beats before it clicked, signaling that Rhys had picked up. But... there was no greeting. 

“... Rhysie?” Jack tried. 

“...”

“Did you, uh, make it home?”

Then, to Jack’s dismay, she heard a whimper. 

_“J-Jaaack...”_

Oh, geez. “What’s wrong, kitten?”

“He- he-!” Rhys muffled a sob, likely with her hand. Jack sat up in her chair, even more worried than she had been minutes ago. 

“Rhys? What happened? What did he do?”

Rhys just sobbed, even harder than she had that morning. Jack shot out of her chair, running for the door. 

“Hang on Rhys, I’ll be right there!”

Jack tore out of the office, barely stopping to tell her secretary to cancel any calls or meetings, before continuing to run like a madwoman to the elevator. She paced anxiously while it took her the sector Rhys lived in, all the while hearing Rhys’s strangled sobs on the comm. 

The elevator dinged, Jack already forcing her way through the slit of the doors before they even opened all the way. She dashed to Rhys’s apartment, overrode the lock with her master key code, and searched wildly for Rhys. She found the bedroom door open, and heard the crying from there. 

Jack barreled through the door, panting heavily as she took in the sight that greeted her. 

Oh... shit. 

Clothes, _Rhys’s_ clothes, were strewn all over the room, in various states of destruction. Shirts with torn sleeves, pants and skirts with cut out sections that rendered them unwearable. Her shoes were also mangled, many heels broken and several more appearing to have been stabbed with a pair of scissors. 

But what caught Jack’s eye and made her heart ache the most was Rhys herself. Her PA was slumped on the bed, still crying, and in her arms... were multiple, destroyed pairs of her dumb colorful socks. 

The socks were torn to shreds, both by hand and by scissors. Fabric of all types and colors littered the bed, some with simple patterns, others with wild prints. But all of them were unwearable. 

Jack hung up the comm she still had with her and quietly approached Rhys. She was holding scraps of blue and yellow in her hands, tiny stars cut through. Those were her favorite, Jack knew. 

“Rhys...”

Rhys looked up, and she was a pitiful sight. Jack hurried over and sat next to her on the bed. 

“Thad and that girl...” Rhys moaned, her voice strained and warbling. “They... I don’t understand...”

Jack pulled Rhys into a hug. The younger woman latched onto her, burying her face in Jack’s neck. Jack’s jacket was going to come away covered in snot and tears, but she didn’t give a shit. She was burning with anger - what kind of fucking loser does this kinda thing to the girl he cheated on?! 

Rhys was shaking in her arms. Jack ran her fingers through her hair with one hand, the other rubbing her back. 

“I’m gonna find those miserable little shits,” Jack swore quietly. “I’m going to fucking moonshot their asses straight into a rakk hive.”

Rhys didn’t say anything in reply. She just kept sobbing, clinging to Jack like the older woman was her lifeline. Jack kept holding her - she’d hold her for hours, if that was what Rhys needed. 

But after a few minutes, Rhys’s cries died down. She hiccuped a few times, sounding clogged up and pitiful, before she gently pried herself away from Jack. 

“Rhys?” Jack asked softly. 

“I... I don’t know why they did this...” Rhys sounded so lost, so confused. 

“Because they’re assholes,” Jack spit out. “Just say the word, sweetheart, I can make good on the moonshot thing.”

“... yeah,” Rhys said, her voice small. “Maybe not that extreme, but... I just... don’t want to see them anymore.”

“Got it,” Jack said, typing a command to the security bots via her watch. By the end of the hour, Thaddeus and...

“What’s the bitch’s name?”

“Katie, I think.”

Thaddeus and Katie would be thrown into the shittiest cell they could manage. From there, Jack would find a way to deal with them. After punishing them to hell and back for messing with her Rhys, of course. 

Satisfied, Jack looked around the trashed bedroom. At the very least, at least it was just clothes that they went after. Clothes were easy to replace. Especially when you had a credit card with like a billion dollars on it. 

She looked back at Rhys, who was still lamenting the shredded remains of her beloved socks. Jack frowned. 

“Rhys?” 

Rhys looked at her, her lower lip wobbling. 

“I’m gonna call in someone to clean this mess up,” Jack said slowly. “While they do that... how about we go on a little shopping spree?”

* * *

Convincing Rhys to leave her apartment was easier than Jack thought. The younger woman merely gave one last mournful look at the remains of her wardrobe and then dutifully followed Jack to the shopping district. 

Jack followed Rhys into any and every store she wanted, though she soon caught onto the fact that Rhys was trying to keep the cost low by going to the cheaper shops Jack had never even set foot in before. And that - that would not do. 

Jack made it expressly clear that Rhys shouldn’t concern herself with dumb things like “prices”. Jack herself was paying for it, and she wasn’t worried about putting a dent in her bank account. Not like Rhys could. 

So slowly, Rhys went for the things she liked, not just what she could afford. She bought multiple new blouses, plenty of them with the weird half-striped design she loved so much. There were a number of skirts, some business, some casual and flirty; same for dresses and pants. And of course, Rhys nearly fainted when Jack tugged her into a high-end shoe store and pointed out the brand new skag skin boots in the display window. 

Jack found herself carrying most of the purchases. She also found herself not caring, because the longer into the spree they went, the less shattered and upset Rhys appeared. She laughed as Jack modeled an obnoxiously ugly jacket for her, got that starry-eyed look on her face when she found a pretty dress so could wear to the next company gala. 

It warmed Jack, to know that this simple thing was helping the younger woman, even if for only a short while. She never knew how much she adored seeing Rhys happy until she saw her devastated and heartbroken. Were it up to Jack, she’d rather never see her Rhys like that again. 

... whoa, wait, ‘her’ Rhys?

Jack paused, though Rhys didn’t notice, engrossed in a rack of designer jackets. Had Jack always referred to Rhys as hers? Come to think of it... yeah. 

Well, she was, wasn’t she? Her personal assistant, her right-hand woman, her most trusted confidant. Her best friend, basically. Rhys was hers. That was just a fact. 

She watched the younger woman grin at the cashier as she rang up another new purchase. Then Rhys must’ve felt her staring, for she looked over, and their eyes met. 

Rhys waved shyly, giggling a bit sheepishly as the cashier handed her the new bag. 

Jack’s heart flipped in her chest. Oh, shit. Realization crashed into her like a moonshot to Pandora’s surface, hard and violent and explosive. 

Rhys was hers... and she wanted to be Rhys’s, too. She loved her. She was _in love_ with her personal assistant. 

Christ. 

Jack kept quiet for the rest of the trip, mind reeling with the implications of her revelation. If Rhys noticed, she didn’t say anything. She merely led them to their final stop... the novelty sock store. 

It was a shop Jack didn’t remember approving, back before she even knew Rhys’s name, but she was always glad she never shut it down. Rhys would treat herself to a pair of socks every once in a while, and those purchases never failed to make her giddy and pleasant at work the next day. Jack didn’t understand her thing with goofy socks. But they made Rhys happy, so...

“Oh, Rhys!” a worker smiled upon seeing Rhys enter, clearly recognizing her. “What can we do for - H-Handsome Jack!”

The worker stopped short upon seeing the CEO trail in behind Rhys, her arms laden with a variety of bags and boxes. Jack raised an eyebrow at him and nodded to Rhys, indicating where he should focus his attention. The worker, flustered, struggled to do so. 

Rhys went about the store in a delighted daze, showing almost no signs of her earlier heartbreak. The worker stumbled along after her, helping her to the best of his ability, though he kept sneaking nervous glances at Jack.

Jack, for her part, looked around the store with amusement. She could easily see Rhys wearing all of the displayed pairs, from the ones patterned with cartoon sunny-side-up eggs to the ones that were bright purple with silver polka dots. 

Though. She couldn’t find a good substitute for the blue and yellow stars. 

Jack seated herself on a nearby bench, content to let Rhys buy up nearly the entire store as she checked her messages. There were a few angry texts from a meeting she was supposed to have, but she simply deleted them. 

Then there was a notification from the security bot that Thaddeus Deavon and Kaitlyn Fletcher were both successfully apprehended, and currently awaiting her judgement in the bowels of Helios’s brig. 

Jack snickered to herself, relishing her unlimited power for a moment before opening a shopping browser on her comm. 

Jack lost track of time then, but Rhys was back with her at some point, holding her final bag, probably full of new and crazy socks to start her new collection. Rhys looked positively radiant, and Jack couldn’t help but share her infectious smile. They headed out of the shopping district and back to Rhys’s apartment with all her new treasures. 

Once they were back, Jack even stayed to help her put away her purchases, despite Rhys’s insistence that the older woman had done more than enough. Jack wasn’t having, though, and so she stayed. 

It was around six in the afternoon once all was said and done. Jack and Rhys lay sprawled out on her bed - not as comfortable as Jack’s, but having a spring dig into her back was worth the smile Rhys gave her. 

“Thank you for today, Jack,” Rhys said suddenly. Jack looked over at her, finding her brushing a strand of brunette hair behind her ear. “You were really... Really awesome.”

Jack grinned. “Course I was. You’ve met me, right?” 

Rhys rolled her eyes, but her smile didn’t fade at all. “Ass. But really, I mean it.”

“I know.” Jack sat up, her smile softening as she looked at her newly-discovered crush. “Anything for you, Rhysie.”

Rhys blushed, her smile widening. Then she blinked, as if remembering something. 

“Oh! I almost forgot!”

Jack watched her rifle through the bag from the sock store - she’d left those unpacked, since she liked to sort her socks by color and pattern, apparently. She pulled out a pair of black and yellow socks and presented them to Jack. 

“It’s not much, and you’ll probably never wear them,” Rhys murmured shyly. “But I wanted to thank you for being so supportive, and... well, these made me think of you.”

Jack stared at the socks. The edges, heels, and toes were black, while the rest of the socks were bright Hyperion yellow. The yellow had a hexagon pattern in a slightly darker shade, and in every other hexagon, a cartoon bee smiled at her. 

The sides of the socks read “Queen Bee”. 

“These,” Jack began, reaching for the pair from Rhys’s nervous hands. “Are the greatest socks I have ever seen.”

Rhys laughed, obviously relieved. “Aren’t they adorable?”

“Please don’t turn me into a sockophile,” Jack jokingly begged. “I have a reputation, Rhysie.”

“But they’re so great! And it’s not against the dress code!” Rhys exclaimed. Her expression then dimmed slightly. “Thad used to make fun of my socks. Said he didn’t wanna go out if I was wearing them. Guess I should’ve seen his bullshit coming.”

Jack reached for her hand; Rhys let her take it, the older woman’s larger, tanned hand covering her pale and dainty one. 

“You’re better off without him, kitten.”

“Yeah.”

“... you can take tomorrow off, if you still...”

Rhys shook her head. “No, I think I’ll be okay. I’ll call you if I change my mind, but...”

“If you’re sure.”

They chatted for a few more minutes before Jack couldn’t put off her work any longer. Rhys was practically pushing her out the door, fearing another small revolt with the snooty executives who thought they were worth Jack’s time. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Jack,” said Rhys, leaning against her door frame. Jack stood outside it, drinking in the sight of her. God, she’d known Rhys was pretty, but had she always been so downright _gorgeous?_

... yeah, probably. 

“See you tomorrow, Rhysie,” replied Jack, clutching her new socks in her hand. 

She turned to leave, but a cool metal grasp on her forearm made her turn around again. Before she could ask what Rhys needed, she felt a soft pair of lips press against her cheek. 

Jack felt her face heat up under her mask. Unfortunately, as soon as it began, it ended. Rhys stepped back, her face bright red. 

“O-Okay, good night, thank you, bye!” she rushed out, quickly retreating into her home and shutting the door. 

Jack was left to stare dumbly at the metal door. Her cheek tingled where Rhys had kissed it, and her heart was doing its stupid somersaults again. 

Jack let out a long exhale. 

She was in deeper than she thought. 

* * *

A few weeks later, Jack got a package. 

It was delivered to her office, so Rhys was present as well when the delivery bot came. Jack had whooped excitedly, drawing the PA’s attention. 

“What’s that?” she asked, after the delivery bot left. Jack was already opening the small box with a gleeful expression. 

“Something I ordered weeks ago!” Jack replied. “I had no idea these bad boys were so rare, but I guess they were limited edition. Can you believe they were two hundred bucks?”

Rhys walked over to Jack’s desk, peeking curiously at the box. “What was?” 

Jack pulled out her prize with aplomb. “These!”

Rhys gasped. In her hands, Jack held a pair of socks - but not just any pair. A perfect replica of Rhys’s old, destroyed favorite: blue and yellow stripes, with white stars. 

Her shocked gaze went from the socks to Jack, who was grinning triumphantly. 

“Y-You...” Rhys felt lightheaded. “You spent two hundred dollars for these?”

Jack pushed the socks into her hands. “It wasn’t a big deal. Just, you know, thought you might like them.” Blue and green eyes met hers, uncertainty in them. “... Do you?”

Rhys stared at her. “I...” she looked back down at the socks. Determination settled on her like a cool wave. She set the socks on Jack’s desk, to the older woman’s confusion. But the confusion didn’t last long when Rhys curled her hands into the lapels of Jack’s jacket and pulled her in for a kiss. 

Jack froze for a moment, but quickly responded, kissing back with enthusiasm, her hands settling on Rhys’s waist. 

It was a chaste kiss, but Rhys felt dizzy when they parted nonetheless. She gazed up at Jack, butterflies in her stomach as her boss smiled oh so gently at her. 

“Well,” whispered Jack. “Maybe I should’ve bought you socks sooner.”

Rhys laughed softly. “How long have you...?”

“Longer than you’d think,” the older woman admitted. “I didn’t realize it myself until the shopping spree a few weeks back.”

Rhys hugged Jack, breathing in her soap-and-gunpowder scent. “I never thought... Wow.”

“Yeah?” came Jack’s quiet voice. “You too?”

“Ever since I started working here, basically. I thought it was just a silly little crush until... well. You know.”

Jack hugged her back. “Since we're on the same page here... You can pay me back for those socks with dinner tonight.”

Rhys hid her smile against Jack’s neck, though she knew the CEO would feel it. “I thought those were a gift?”

“Two hundred dollars, Rhysie. Also, I bought like four more pairs of stupid socks for myself because of you. You’ve infected me. You _owe_ me.”

“I guess I do.” 

Rhys lifted her head and gave Jack another kiss, just a peck on the lips. Jack hummed, smiling into it. 

They’d return to work in a few minutes. But for now, they savored this new thing between them, intangible but all-encompassing. 

And several floors below them, a certain man and woman were toiling away, cleaning the filthy animal enclosures in the Wildlife Exploitation Preserve. Grueling and dangerous work, to be sure, but it could’ve been worse. Handsome Jack could show mercy every once in a while. 

After all, if not for those two... she wouldn’t have her soft and gorgeous Rhysie in her arms. 

Also, Rhys had found the punishment hilarious. So. 

* * *


End file.
